[development] CVS branch work best practices?

[AjK]

Michael, et al

I take your point entirely regarding on how a normal flow goes for project
development. HEAD is "where it's at" in normal cases.

What I'm trying to get across is a different thinking for contrib
maintainers only. Think like this, you have 5 or 6 modules and you are
actively trying to add new features to just two (you want to release) and
you are tracking Core HEAD.

First off, what about the 4 modules you don't want to "distract you" whilst
working on two. If you are tracking Core and you don't update all your
modules things will catch up with you. Then,
Dries commits Chx's latest greatest improvement with the strap line "Head is
broken". Well, that's just great! Add to this that, although chx produced
some great docs (I remember reviewing them a while back) the docs may not be
fully mature. So, if you are tracking Core you have a lot of juggling to do,
nearly all the time.

The method (for contrib only) I use isolates you from that all that till the
dust settles a little and more support is available. This is CVS development
for "one person and his computer, at home, part time" style. It's just a
different mentality or thought process. Basically, it does mean "code
freeze" is manic time too if you are not careful, but at least you know
where /all/ your modules are relative to Core Head.

So, point taken that HEAD is where it's at. But if you have a number of
modules, that's a number of HEADs too :) My contrib method just makes my
life a little easier in terms of management of the whole process. I want to
code more manage less, I'm just one bloke (well, with several computers).

One last point, it doesn't matter how much doc work Derek does, if you are
not use to the software development cycles and use of CVS in general then
staying in your branch till you are ready to branch out (pun intended) is a
good place to be just for your sanity. For a lot of PHP developers, CVS is
quite a new thing. Some sensible starting guide lines that make life easy is
a good idea till you find your feet and start to push out a little more.

/2p

--Andy